The phrase “settler takeover” is used fairly often by the international media to discuss a common occurrence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. But rarely do the cameras actually capture just how this kind of thing is done. That’s why the sight of dozens of Israeli settlers with crowbars descending on two homes in the old city of Hebron is as surprising as it is disturbing.

The settlers, who took over the buildings on Thursday, claimed to have purchased the properties, located near the Cave of the Patriarchs…

Palestinians claimed the property was purchased using forged documents, but Israel’s Supreme Court rejected that claim. Settlers often buy Palestinian land through front companies, the most famous of which is named Al-Watan (homeland in Arabic)…

Jewish squatter colonies in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace efforts since they occupy land Palestinians see as part of their future state.

That land has now mostly vanished. With it, all hope of a peace settlement based on the so-called “two states for two peoples” formula has gone up in smoke.